What Happened Afterwards
by sarahandmarquis
Summary: The train plunged into the ravine in a spectacular crash. The DeLorean carried Marty safely into the future. This is what happened afterwards. Doc/Clara fluff. Rated T (at the moment). A series of connected chapters loosely calling themselves a story.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

Dear Readers,

Now, I am no stranger to fanfiction writing. I've been doing it for many years now, but, this is my first Back to the Future fanfiction. I watched the movies a week ago with a friend and have been, since that moment, obsessed with the Doc/Clara ship. BUT, I can't seem to find any good Doc/Clara fanfiction on here! Seriously, this is a cannon ship that is beyond adorable with all sorts of possibilities for fluff, angst, and more! This is an attempt to provide that to fellow Back to the Future lovers who want to see these two happy together and find out _What Happened Afterwards_. I have researched, read, and done the best to inform myself so I can write these characters well. Review and let me know how I did!

This is Chapter 1 with more to come. Chapter 2 is finished but I'm waiting for my friend to read it. She insisted though that I post this. I can basically guarantee no plot. This is simply a series of loosely connected one-shots that form a story about these two being super fluffy. In fact, I am going to label this as complete though I will continue to add to it.

sarahandmarquis

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WORD COUNT: 1901

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CHAPTER 1

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DATE: September 7th, 1885

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The wreck was a magnificent explosion, just as predicted. But, the lack of audience failed to come to pass as two people watched the train pause mid-air for a fraction of a second before plunging deep into the ravine and erupting in a ball of fire, sand, and smoke. The sound followed the explosion and shook the trees around the ravine with its power.

When the wreck quieted, and the wind swept through to carry away the dust and smoke, the old gentleman, standing on a hot pink hovering board, stepped onto the ground. In his arms, he still held tightly to a brunette woman who clutched his yellowed deer hide overcoat with one hand and held tightly to his neck with the other. After a few breaths, she brushed her curly hair out of her face and blinkingly looked towards the bridge and the sharp drop-off beyond.

"Did…did he make it?" She whispered, allowing the white-haired man to set her down but not leaving his arms, preferring to keep one wrapped around his torso.

"Just before the DeLorean reached the end of the bridge, I saw it reach temporal displacement . Also, the fire trails suspended in the air indicate that he reached eighty-eight miles per hour before the end of the tracks. I am confident that Marty made it safely back to the year 1985." The young woman looked up at the strong face and saw the faintest twinge of sadness hiding behind the big chocolate eyes. He concealed it well, but she knew her Emmett far too well to naively believe he wouldn't miss his young friend dearly.

With a weary smile on her face, she laid her hand on his chest, over his heart and her head on his shoulder.

"Emmett, it's okay to miss Mr. Eastwood. You don't have to hide it from me." She reached up and turned his face to look at her, remembering distinctly how she had last touched his cheek. "I shall be forever grateful for your saving me. I always seems to get into trouble when I do reckless things and you're always saving me."

"It is my pleasure." He whispered, catching himself running his thumb over her cheek bone and smearing the dust and ash that coated her face. "About all this –" He started to explain and she quickly put a finger over his lips and hushed him.

"Not now. Let's go home. I'm covered in dust from head to toe. This dress is torn far beyond repair and you must be exhausted. Shall we go to my place and refresh and rest? Perhaps there we can talk over a cup of tea?" He nodded, seeing the wisdom in her words. They were both covered in several layers of various particles and needed to wash and change.

"I shall take you home then return to my workshop for change of clothes and a bath."

"Then, maybe come over for lunch?" Clara offered. "We do need to talk. I want to know more about…this." She vaguely gestured towards the smoldering mess laying at the bottom of the ravine. "I want to know how it works…or…worked."

She saw a light spark in the wide eyes of her Emmett at the notion of sharing his invention with an eager and educated ear.

"I would be delighted to explain its intricacies though it will take until well beyond sunset to elucidate every component." One white eyebrow arched, warning her of time involved. She quietly laughed and leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Take all the time you need. I'm sure the children wouldn't mind a day off school." Color rose quickly in his cheeks and just because she was feeling a little bit bold, she gave him another quick peck and stepped out of his embrace. "Come on, let's go find the horses. They have to be around here somewhere…"

She started to walk away from the crack in the earth's crust, but his hand reached out and grasped hers gently to stop her.

"Wait, it is going to be a long walk to find them as they most likely are spooked. Here, use the hoverboard." He reached down and drew the pink boards towards them, leaving it hovering mid-air by her ankles. For the first time since the appearance of the device, Clara had a moment to examine at the object that had been instrumental in saving her life. The little pink blank hovered, as its name suggested, just a half a foot off the ground. A lone pink strap looped at one end and the words "hover board" were jaggedly written across the middle on hideously contrasting buff lines.

"I don't know, Emmett…" She trailed off and eyed the futuristic object with a suspicious eye. While she allowed herself to be open to the future having strange new inventions (after all, she had just seen one with her very eyes disappear into the future from whence it came), she found herself unsure about trying out one of them herself so soon after her discovery. "All this is so sudden."

"If you have good balance, it is very easy to handle. Just stand on it and I will walk beside you and teach you how to handle it. Trust me. I will not let you fall." He looked tenderly down at her, the gentlest of smiles creasing his weatherworn face. "Your shoes were not made for walking and I don't want you to endure blisters. And, I cannot carry you all the way home." Both secretly wished he could; her as she had enjoyed his arms wrapped securely around her and him as he had relished her grip on his neck.

"I trust you, Emmett." She quietly said, believing with all her heart he wouldn't let her down. He grinned at her, stealing her breath and her heart all over again in one movement.

"Step onto the board and slide one foot under the strap." He angled the board parallel to himself on the ground and held out his arms for her to hold onto like guardrails. Her gloved hands clutched as the fabric as she slid one shoe under the strap and tested her weight on the hovering plank. It moved down to accommodate but recalibrated and returned to its former position six inches from the ground. "Now, take your other foot and place it directly in front of the first, pointed forward." Clutching his forearms as tightly as she could, she shakily lifted the other foot from the dust and let it rest in front of her other shoe. The hoverboard recalibrated and remained still beneath her.

"Now what?"

"Take my hand." He held out one hand and encouraged her to release her death-like grip on his overcoat. Feet shaking, she let go and immediately grabbed his hand. He turned, his shoulder level with hers. "Now, with your free foot, push the air." Clara just looked at him, the nervous look melting into an annoyed expression.

"Emmett, are you in earnest? Push the air?" He nodded once, an excited smile on his face, like a child showing off a new toy to a friend. In a way, that is exactly what he was, an excited inventor showing a whole different world to the love of his life.

Shrugging, she tried and the hoverboard moved forward a few inches, throwing her off balance and leaving her clinging to his arm like a vice. Taking a few quick breaths, she straightened and tried again, now ready for what the plank would do. It moved again, and he walked beside as she tried little pushes at first to get a feel for the power beneath her feet. Within minutes, she obtained her balance and easily maneuvered the board around small obstacles. As they wandered in search of their mounts, she completely released his arm and only kept hold of his hand, not for stability but simply to feel his hand resting in hers as tangible proof he walked beside her.

Only the sound of his boots scraping against rocks and crunching branches broke the silence around them.

This was not the silence of a couple long used to one another wherein words became a waste of breath and energy. This silence was begotten of a lovers' quarrel, telling of a break in trust. Emmett seemed to have forgotten her actions, blissfully looking for the horses while holding her hand while she couldn't stop hearing her words ringing in her ears.

She'd accused him of not loving her, of not respecting her when, in truth, he'd trusted her with the greatest secret of the all centuries. She'd thought him heartless when in fact, his was the greatest heart she'd ever known. Guilt locked up her lungs, and tears choked her. If not for her, he'd be home in his time with his friends. Maybe she would have been there with him in the new world where hovering boards were a reality.

Despite having been the one to want to talk later, she felt the cloying need to apologize immediately and take away the awkward silence.

"Emmett, do you think we could take a break for a moment? My leg is tired." She stopped pushing the hoverboard and tugged him to face her. His wide brown eyes looked at her adoringly, entirely undeserved after her words to him.

"Of course. There!" He exclaimed, pointing to a tree with a large boulder sitting at its base. "We can sit over there in the shade and rest a moment. The sun is stifling." In consideration to her tired legs, he scooped her up in his arms, leaving the hoverboard floating mid air and carried her, bridal style, over to the bolder. Clara caught herself blushing like a schoolgirl. Once he set her down, she arranged her skirts and reached under her dress to massage her aching calf. Politely, he looked away, avoiding looking at her ankles which were in plain sight. Such a gentleman!

After another moment of long silence, she quietly said,

"I need to apologize." Doc turned to face her, his wide eyes blinking once.

"What for?" He asked, taking off his head and setting down on an outcropping of rock beside her.

"For what I said and did last night. I'm sorry. I should not have slapped you and stormed away without giving you the benefit of the doubt." She hung her head and a few dark curls fell in front of her face. "As fantastical as it was, I should have trusted you would never lie to me and at least tried to believe it." He stepped forward and gently cradled her jaw in the palms of his hands.

"Clara, life is made up of 'should haves' and 'shouldn't haves'. They have brought me to the place I am now and you as well. All of us are where we are now because of those life-changing words. I do not fault you for not believing me. I would not have believed me either." Resting her face in his hands, she gave him a sweet smile.

"I thought you'd gone mad. You were always eccentric, a trait I liked, but this seemed like insanity. And, when I decided to come back, I still thought you were crazy. Only, I believed you did care about me and whatever delusion you were under, I could live with it. I'm so sorry! I never meant to break your heart!" Her eyes welled up with tears. If he'd experienced half the pain she suffered, he'd gone through hell.

Not speaking, he drew her into his arms as she fit perfectly against his chest while sitting. She snuggled her way against him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. His cheek rested against her hair and his fingers played with the ringlets that reached down the middle of her back.

"I forgive you." He whispered into her hair. "I love you, Clara."

"I love you too, Emmett. I always will."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Dear Readers,

As you can see, I haven't abandoned this wandering tale! All is going well at college. But, it has kept me from writing a lot recently. Hopefully I can settle in and get back to writing. Enjoy!

sarahandmarquis

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WORD COUNT: 2035  
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Chapter 2  
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DATE: September 7th, 1885  
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Water droplets dripped off his snow-white hair as he attempted to button the buttons on a clean vest. One thing he had refused to endure in the old-fashioned world he had found himself in was dirt. He lived in a world surrounded by dirt and sand and grime, but he bathed regularly, thanks to running water he had secretly installed himself, and a washing machine, also another private invention of his own. Both the tub and the machine were hidden away from any prying eyes lest by their discovery the space time continuum be thrown askew.

The space time continuum.

Like any invention of his inadvertently stumbled upon could mess it up more than he already had. He had save a woman's life who should have died. He had hija- no, borrowed a steam engine, affecting all the lives on board. He had sent Marty into the future and left himself behind, an extra person in the century. Science told him that the future had been irrevocable altered, but his heart reminded him of how pretty her smile was and how sweet her voice sounded to his ears and asked if it really mattered.

She loved him. The words had crossed her lips.

Even their memories caused his heart to swell within his chest.

She was confused, a little lost, and more than a little shaken over their latest adventure but she still loved him. And, as the man she loved and who loved her, it was his duty to put all her fears to rest and return that carefree smile to her face. The responsibility weighed heavily on him as he dusted off his overcoat and hat. These were uncharted waters he found himself sailing through.

Doctor Emmett Brown had a woman depending on him.

It was as terrifying as it was exhilarating.

His horse, a loyal animal he had named Newton in honor of Sir Isaac Newton, sensed his urgency and, despite the long and frightening day, carried him quickly to the teacher's place of residence. As the horse trotted up, sending a puff of dust with every hoof strike, he saw the silhouette of Clara, bustling about the house, though an open window. Stopping the horse in front of the little white fence, he tied him to the hitch post and walked through the unlatched gate. The wooden boards of the steps creaked beneath his boots with every step he took up onto the front porch. The scent of freshly baked biscuits wafted on the light breeze through the house, causing him to close his eyes and deeply breath in the delicious smell.

It smelled like home.

He quickly knocked on the wooden door and heard the tell-tale sound of her shoes striking the plank floor. Even he, as inobservant as he sometimes was, could not ignore the happy skip in her steps. The door swung open, and he tried to catch his breath as her lovely smile stole it away.

She was radiant.

Her golden-brown eyes sparkled, and her blushing cheeks glowed as she eagerly welcomed him inside her house. Moments after he stepped through the door, he found himself ingulfed in her arms, her hands tangling in his white hair to pull his head down to meet her lips. Without hesitation, he allowed himself to be cocooned in her perfume and consumed by her kiss. After a night of broken-hearted despair, her affection proved the healing balm his heart needed.

After some glorious moments, she suddenly pulled away, her cheeks crimson with the brightest blush he had ever witnessed on her.

"I'm so sorry." She murmured. "I didn't mean to…" She gasped as he wrapped one hand around her waist and pulled her flush to him.

"Do not apologize." Leaving one hand pressing into her lower back, he tangled the other in her long dark curls and kissed her again. Her hands found their way to the collar of his overcoat and clung there, holding herself against him, a willing captive in his arms.

Breathing heavily, he pulled away and stared at the swollen lips and lidded expression on Clara's face. Pleased beyond belief, he quietly said,

"I thought I smelled something baking as I was walking up?" She frowned at him and playfully slapped his chest.

"Way to ruin the mood." The faintest of smiles teased her lips though as she couldn't find it in her heart to be mad at the man who had just kissed her silly.

"I did come to explain the time machine and time travel to you."

"And, not to kiss me senseless?" She pouted, and he nearly gave in to tasting that bottom lip again. "But, I do want to understand. Last night…you told me you're from the future." Even as she said it, it sounded strange to both their ears. "1985 to be exact. You came here from there in a time machine you invented which was the strange…thing I saw being pushed by the train into nowhere over that ravine. I was thinking about it while I baked this afternoon and I feel like I'm in a Jules Verne story, Emmett. I believe you, I can't help but believe you after everything I saw this morning but…at the same time…" She trailed off and stepped away from him towards the coffee table to pour a cup of tea for each of them.

She reminded of a ship, rudder smashed to pieces, set adrift in uncharted waters. As inordinately happy as she was to have him back, a wonder to behold to the former confirmed bachelor, she still craved answers and stability. For a week, she had been a happy school teacher, being courted by the local blacksmith: a classic western romance. Now, she found herself in a science fiction tale, her whole reality snatched away beneath her.

He sought to return her feet to a sure foundation a changed reality.

"You do not know how to cope with the alterations this discovery creates." He finished for her and watched her nod in agreement.

"I hope you can shed some light on it. Perhaps it won't be so frightening if you explain it."

"Then, allow me to teach the lesson." He smiled at her and took her hand in his, leading her to the couch in front of the fireplace. Once she was comfortable at his side with muffins and a cup of tea, he began the story at the beginning.

She listened attentively, accepting what he said as fact, trusting he would not lie or stretch the truth in anyway. And, why would he? After all, truth in this case was stranger than fiction. He told of the first accident in the space time continuum and its risky repair.

He tried to soften the part with the Libyan terrorists to her but there was no other way to explain to her that he had died in one time-line and been saved in another. At the news that his time traveling adventures had cost him his life at one point, Clara grabbed his hand in hers and made him vow not to do anything so foolish ever again. After reassuring her, he lightly kissed her cheek and finished the tale, ending with his unceremonious time travel back into 1885.

"That is my story, my love. After all this, I think I have had my fill of time travel."

"I could understand that. You've been through so much. I can't help but wonder what happened in 1885 without you? What would my life have been like if that lightning bolt in the future hadn't sent you back here." She rambled a bit and then looked at his face, reading his expressions as clearly as a book. "You know, don't you?"

"Clara, in 1985, Shonash ravine is called Clayton Ravine. After a teacher that went over the edge…in this year." She paused her, her brown eyes widening and her jaw falling open.

"I…I died that day?" He nodded solemnly, watching for her reaction to the news. All in all, she handled it rather well, merely sitting there for a very long moment and considering his words with much thought.

"I suppose in the end, it doesn't really matter. After all, I'm alive in this timeline. I'm alive with you and a future ahead of us." She tried to sound hopeful, but his expression told another story despite how he tried to keep it concealed.

"We're technically living in a third version of 1885. In the first, I never existed and you…well, the town named the ravine after you." He could not stomach verbalizing the admission of her death. "In the second, I died this morning. Shot down by Buford Tannen over a matter of eighty dollars."

"No." She whispered, unable to imagine that, at one time, she would have been sitting on her couch sobbing over a dead man instead of drinking tea with the love of her life. "How do you know that?"

"Last week, I left a letter with Wells Fargo to be delivered in 1955 to the location from where I disappeared, knowing Marty would be there. Inside were instructions on locating the DeLorean and a charge not to come back for me as I was very happy here. While he was unearthing the time machine, my dog found a tombstone with…my name, the cause of my death and the date inscribed on it. I know we met in that timeline because at the bottom it said, 'Beloved Clara.'"

"Oh my." She whispered, setting down the cup of tea on the coffee table and standing up. She pressed her hands to her mouth and took several rattled breaths. "Emmett, I won't lie. I knew…I knew from the start that one day I'd be wearing black for you. That one day I would be instructing the undertaking with the tombstone inscription. I just…I never imagined it might have been today." She closed her eyes and he saw a tear roll down her cheek. Horrified by the salt water, he sprang to feet and stepped over to her, taking her in his arms.

"Oh Clara, I still have time. So much time. So much I want to spend with you. Let us not think of the inevitable end of things but of the present, where much happiness abounds." He ran his hands through her curls, admiring the way they tumbled across his fingers. As he held her in his arms, his mind solidified around one thought.

He wanted this forever.

He wanted this woman whose mind matched his own. He wanted her to work beside him, to be the helpmate he had missed all his life. He could only imagine the inventions they could create together, their minds unified. And, what of the love shared? If she were to leave, his heart and soul would be rent in twain. Did he dare ask? He had known her for four days, no more no less. Could a such a short time really be long enough to determine a life partner? Yet, neither of them were getting any younger. He knew what he wanted. Now, if only she knew.

"Clara, I…" He licked his lips. He had no ring, but he would remedy that as soon as possible. "Um, I…" The words stuck in his throat as they had when he tried, and failed, to ask her to dance. Gently untangling himself from her arms, he ran his hands down to her wrists and held out gently as he dropped to one knee in front of her on the rug. She stared at him, her mouth gaping as he attempted to steady himself by running his thumbs over her knuckles.

"Clara, I know this is…sudden. And…and…and I understand if…you need to think about it. But…Clara, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you like to…" His hands felt slick with sweat. "Would you do me the great honor of…" He saw her starting to giggle but attempting to hide it. The color rose on his cheeks and before he could try again to ask her, she leaned down, lightly pressing her soft lips against his weathered ones.

"Yes, Emmett. Yes."


End file.
